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REPORT  ON  USE  OF  ACETYLENE 
GAS  BY  THE  CANADIAN  GOVERN- 
MENT AS  AN  ILLUMINANT  FOR 
AIDS  TO  NAVIGATION 


BY 

ALBERT  ROSS 

Captam,  U.  S.  N.,  Member  of  the  Light-House  Board 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
1907 


Property  of  the  United  States  Government. 


REPORT  ON  USE  OF  ACETYLENE 
GAS  BY  THE  CANADIAN  GOVERN- 
MENT AS  AN  ILLUMINANT  FOR 
AIDS  TO  NAVIGATION 


BY 
ALBERT  ROSS 

Captain,  U.  S.  N.,  Member  of  the  Light-House  Board 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT   PRINTING  OFFICE 
1907 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL 


DEPARTMENT  OF  COMMERCE  AND  LABOR, 

LIGHT-HOUSE  BOARD, 
Washington,  October  3,  1906. ' 

SIRS:  I  have  the  honor  to  report  that  in  obedience  to  the  Board's 
orders  of  September  21/1906,  I  proceeded  to  Ottawa,  Canada,  and 
conferred  with  the  Canadian  light-house  officials  on  light-house  mat- 
ters, and  especially  in  regard  to  acetylene  lighting.  My  report  is 
appended  hereto. 

The  trip  was  made  successful  and  its  value  very  much  enhanced  by 
the  interest  shown  by  the  prime  minister,  Sir  Wilfrid  Laurier;  the 
consul-general  of  the  United  States  at  Ottawa,  Mr.  John  G.  Foster; 
the  deputy  minister  of  marine  and  fisheries,  Col.  F.  Gourdeau,  and 
Mr.  James  F.  Fraser,  commissioner  of  lights  Therefore  especial 
acknowledgment  is  made  of  their  courtesy. 

Respectfully,  A.  Ross, 

Captain,  U.  S.  Navy. 
The  LIGHT-HOUSE  BOARD, 

Washington,  D.  C. 

3 


598349 


ACETYLENE  GAS  AS  AN  ILLUMINANT  FOR  AIDS  TO 

NAVIGATION. 


STATUS  OF  LIGHTING  IN  CANADA. 

The  greater  number  of  light-houses  in  Canada  still  use  oil,  most  of 
which  is  purchased  in  the  United  States,  of  the  standard  required  by 
the  United  States  Light-House  Board  for  the  use  of  stations  having 
dioptric  lights.  Oil  for  other  lights  is  purchased  from  a  Canadian  com- 
pany. 

Buoys  of  the  Pintsch  gas  type  are  operated  under  a  pressure  of  8 
atmospheres.  Buoys  of  the  Willson  automatic  low-pressure  acety- 
lene gas  type  have  been  adopted,  and  will  eventually  take  the  place 
of  all  other  lighted  buoys  in  the  Canadian  light-house  service.  Some 
shore  stations  use  acetylene  gas  under  pressure  of  from  10  to  14 
atmospheres  and  others  use  the  Willson  automatic  low-pressure 
acetylene-gas  beacon.  The  most  important  stations,  however,  are 
fitted  with  petroleum  vapor  lamps. 


ACETYLENE-PRESSURE    LIGHTS. 


Acetylene  gas  was  first  used  in  the  Canadian  light-house  service  in 
1901,  when  acetylene  generators  were  installed  in  several  small  river 
lights.  Experiments  were  made  with  several  gas-generating  machines, 
but  none  proved  entirely  satisfactory.  Great  difficulty  was  experi- 
enced from  carbonization  of  lava  tips,  as  well  as  in  the  construction 
of  the  tips  themselves.  The  most  satisfactory  tip  discovered  is  that 
at  present  in  use.  It  is  made  in  the  United  States. 

In  1903  all  the  gas  buoys  were  fitted  with  " Economic"  burners, 
that  burned  acetylene  with  single  one-fourth  foot  burners.  The 
standard  Pintsch  gas  lanterns  of  200  mm.  lenses  were  used. 

A  pressure  plant  was  installed  on  the  light-house  tender  Scout,  and 
its  use  was  continued  until  the  spring  of  1905,  when  an  explosion 
occurred  while  the  tender  was  engaged  in  filling  three  gas  buoys  at 
the  government  dry  dock  at  Kingston,  Ontario.  Two  had  been  filled 
to  12  atmospheres  and  a  third  was  being  filled.  A  pressure  of  at 
least  6  atmospheres  had  been  obtained,  when,  without  warning,  the 
first  buoy,  which  had  been  filled  for  about  an  hour  and  a  hah5,  exploded. 
The  shock  ruptured  and  exploded  the  second  buoy  alongside  and  blew 
the  third  buoy  on  its  side,  breaking  the  hose  and  lighting  the  gas.  As 

5 


\ 
6  ACETYLENE   GAS   FOK   AIDS   TO   NAVIGATION. 


a  result  4  ,ine^, -mcl.ij&ing  the  captain,  were  killed  and  the  steamer's 
.upper  lyocka.  were  burned.  The  buoys  which  failed  were  two  of  39 
iliailow'-ife'aft  :gas  ibiioy^' which  had  been  handed  over  in  1902  by  the 
department  of  railways  and  canals  when  the  marine  department  took 
over  the  buoyage  of  the  upper  St.  Lawrence  between  Lachine  and 
Fresco tt.  They  were  defective  in  construction.  The  vessel  was 
rebuilt,  and  the  generating  plant  was  installed  at  the  Prescott  Buoy 
Station. 

Since  the  explosion  the  method  pursued  has  been  to  reduce  the 
pressure  in  the  gas  receptacles  to  about  one-half  or  two-thirds,  with 
the  consequent  expense  of  more  frequent  refilling  or  recharging. 

Another  difficulty  found  in  the  acetylene  buoys  was  that  the  cop- 
per hood  of  the  gas  lantern  was  affected  by  the  gases  of  combustion, 
which  caused  a  slimy  deposit  to  fall  on  the  lantern  and  burner.  This 
was  obviated  by  substituting  sheet  nickel  for  sheet  copper  in  the  central 
tube  and  by  heavily  nickel  plating  the  surfaces  exposed  to  the  gases 
of  combustion.  At  the  same  time  an  effort  was  made  to  purify  the 
gas,  and  this  has  been  accomplished  in  such  manner  that  little  diffi- 
culty is  now  experienced  from  carbonization  of  tips. 

Up  to  this  time  endeavor  had  been  made  to  keep  the  consumption 
of  gas  at  about  the  same  as  the  Pintsch  gas  on  the  score  of  economy. 
The  Canadian  government  officials  now  feel  that  the  best  light  that 
can  be  obtained  should  be  burned  hi  order  to  give  to  navigators  the  most 
efficient  aid  that  can  be  supplied.  This  standard  was  shown  in 
everything  offered  for  inspection.  In  1904  the  burner  was  increased 
to  2  half -foot  main  flames  and  in  addition  occulting  burners  were  fitted 
with  2  one-eighth  foot  pilot  flames.  Since  the  adoption  of  the  Will- 
son  buoy  it  has  been  the  policy  of  the  Canadian  government  to  remove 
all  pressure  buoys  at  a  distance  from  the  compressing  plants  and  to  use 
them  as  permanent  beacons  on  shore. 

In  the  shore  stations  between  Montreal  and  Kingston 'two  cylinders 
42  inches  in  diameter  and  20  feet  long  were  installed  in  the  lower 
story  of  each  light-house,  and  acetylene  was  substituted  for  the  oil. 
This  change  was  readily  made,  as  the  tender  can  approach  within  300 
or  400  feet  of  each  light  and  supply  acetylene  gas  through  hose. 
These  welded-steel  gas  holders  contain  265  cubic  feet  per  atmosphere 
and  were  filled  to  a  pressure  of  from  10  to  12  atmospheres,  since 
reduced  to  10.  A  reducing  valve  is  used,  and  keepers  are  found  unnec- 
essary. 

In  many  cases  where  the  tower  was  old  and  built  of  wood  it  was 
torn  down,  and  a  steel  gas  holder  was  up-ended  on  a  concrete  base, 
the  gas  lantern  being  placed  on  a  square  steel  box  20  inches  on  a  side 
containing  the  reducing  valve,  which  was  bolted  to  the  manhole 
cover.  This  made  a  permanent  structure  which  required  only 
painting.  The  question  of  protection  from  cold  weather  was  not 


ACETYLENE   GAS   FOB   AIDS   TO   NAVIGATION.  7 

considered,  as  shown  in  the  picture  of  the  Dock  Island,  British  Colum- 
bia, beacon. 

By  this  system  of  installation  numerous  keepers  were  dispensed  with, 
allowing  the  establishment  of  other  lights.  In  some  cases  a  series 
of  from  4  to  7  lights  in  close  proximity  was  placed  in  charge  of  one 
caretaker.  After  a  trial  of  two  years  the  system  has  been  found 
economical  and  practical.  It  requires,  however,  that  the  stations 
be  in  proximity  to  the  gas-generating  plant,  and  that  a  vessel  be  fur- 
nished to  attend  them. 

In  the  ship  channel  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River  45  compression  gas 
buoys  are  in  service,  requiring  as  a  tender  a  gas  and  derrick  scow  90 


Dock  Island,  British  Columbia,  light,  on  the  run  between  Victoria  and 
Vancouver,  installed  March  7, 1906.  It  contains  a  200  mm.  lantern,  is 
charged  with  1,000  pounds  of  carbide,  and  runs  four  months  with- 
out recharging.  As  will  be  seen,  no  particular  care  is  taken  with 
regard  to  temperature  conditions. 

feet  long,  26  feet  wide,  and  of  6  feet  draft,  with  a  steam  derrick  and 
drum  hoist  engine  of  10  tons  capacity.  The  generating  plant  located 
in  the  after  end  of  the  scow  includes  a  "Scout-type  generator"  with 
a  capacity  of  4,000  feet  of  gas  per  hour,  and  has  the  necessary  scrub- 
ber, low  pressure  (fore)  drier,  to  dry  the  gas  over  calcium  carbide, 
twin  three-stage  gas  compressors  of  the  Ingersoll-Sergeant  type,  an 
after  cooler  and  after  drier  (high  pressure) ,  and  a  purifying  plant. 

The  compression  system  of  acetylene  is  in  use  in  other  districts 
both  for  buoys  and  for  shore  stations,  and  it  was  intended  to  establish 
it  in  Halifax  Harbor,  but  this  will  not  now  be  done  on  account  of  the 
adoption  of  the  Willson  low-pressure  buoy. 

24015—07 2 


8  AQETYLENE    GAS   FOK   AIDS    TO    NAVIGATION. 

PETROLEUM    VAPOR   LAMPS. 

In  about  eight-tenths  of  the  lights  under  the  Canadian  government 
oil  is  still  used,  and  in  about  one-tenth  of  the  most  important  petro- 
leum vapor  lamps  are  now  being  installed.  The  intention  was  to 
install  this  lamp  in  all  of  the  first-order  lights  with  a  mantle  sufficient 
for  the  requirements  of  that  order.  Difficulty,  however,  has  been 
experienced  in  the  use  of  mantles  of  sufficient  size  to  fulfill  the 
requirements  of  a  first-order  light.  An  85  mm.  mantle  has  been 
tried,  but  it  is  not  so  reliable  as  desired.  The  smaller  mantles  up  to 
and  including  55  mm.  have  been  found  entirely  satisfactory,  and, 
in  the  light-houses  so  far  equipped  there  has  been  a  "  consequent 
increase  of  light  of  500  per  cent  over  the  ordinary  burner  in  propor- 
tion to  the  oil  consumed." 

Experiments  are  also  being  made  in  the  use  of  a  mantle,  with  acety- 
lene gas  for  lights  of  the  first,  second,  and  third  orders.  This,  how- 
ever, is  only  in  the  experimental  stage,  and  the  greater  amount  of 
work  is  being  done  on  the  production  of  a  larger  mantle  for  use  with 
the  petroleum  vapor  lamp. 

It  is  the  intention,  as  funds  become  available,  to  continue  the 
installation  of  these  lamps  in  all  of  the  important  stations,  and  to 
extend  the  Willson  low-pressure  automatic  acetylene  system  to  minor 
stations  and  floating  aids  to  navigation,  thus  obtaining  much  more 
satisfactory  results  than  have  been  obtained  by  the  use  of  ordinary 
oil,  Pintsch  gas,  or  acetylene  gas  under  pressure. 

WILLSON    AUTOMATIC    GAS    BUOY. 

The  first  automatic  gas  buoy  was  made  by  Mr.  Thomas  L.  Willson. 
It  was  given  to  the  Canadian  government  for  test  in  August,  1904, 
and  shortly  thereafter  was  followed  by  three  others,  each  of  a  special 
type,  including  the  combination  gas  and  whistling  buoy.  The  depart- 
ment of  marine  at  once  recognized  the  utility  of  the  invention  and 
gave  Mr.  Willson  orders  for  additional  buoys  of  various  types  to  the 
number  of  48  for  the  year  1904-5.  This  was  later  supplemented  by 
an  order  for  12  shallow-draft  buoys  and  an  automatic  beacon. 

The  International  Marine  Signal  Company,  of  Ottawa,  was  incor- 
porated August  24,  1906,  to  manufacture  the  Willson  automatic  buoy 
and  carry  on  a  general  marine-signal  business.  The  plant  at  present 
is  composed  of  two  buildings.  The  larger  is  a  one-story  shop,  575 
feet  long  by  60  feet  wide,  and  is  now  being  extended,  so  that  by 
November,  1907,  it  will  be  1;200  feet  long.  A  railroad  track  extends 
through  the  center  of  the  building  and  connects  with  the  Canadian 
Pacific  Railroad.  This  shop,  as  well  as  the  other,  was  filled  with 
buoys  in  all  stages  of  construction,  the  entire  plant  being  used  exclu- 
sively for  manufacture  for  the  Canadian  government.  The  present 


ACETYLENE    GAS   FOB   AIDS    TO    NAVIGATION.  9 

daily  capacity  of  both  shops  is  one  buoy.  After  November  1  it  will 
be  two  buoys,  and  by  November,  1907,  it  is  estimated  the  output  will 
be  an  average  of  four  buoys  daily. 

TYPES   OF   BUOYS. 

A  description  of  the  types  of  gas  buoys  and  gas  and  whistling  buoys 
which  have  been  placed  in  service  follows: 

Nos.  5  and  6  shallow-draft  river  and  harbor  gas  buoy. — This  is  a  small 
buoy  in  which  a  Pintsch  gas  lantern  is  used  with  two  one-fourth  foot 
main  flames  and  two  one-eighth  foot  pilot  flames.  The  flotation 
chamber,  6  feet  in  diameter,  is  cylindrical  and  is  formed  of  a  body 
plate  and  two  shallow  dished  heads.  The  generating  tube  is  24  inches 
in  diameter.  The  light  is  exhibited  1\  feet  above  the  water. 


N".  7  buoy  off  light-house  depot,  Prescott,  Ontario. 

No.  7  standard  gas  buoy. — This  size  of  buoy  has  been  adopted  as  the 
standard  for  general  requirements.  It  has  a  cylindrical  flotation 
chamber  composed  of  a  body  plate  and  two  shallow  dished  heads. 
The  diameter  of  the  flotation  chamber  is  7  feet.  A  standard  Pintsch 
gas  lantern  is  used  with  two  one-fourth  foot  and  two  one-eighth  foot 
pilot  flames,  and  the  light  is  exhibited  1\  feet  above  the  water.  The 
generating  tube  is  30  inches  in  diameter  and  the  carbide  charge  is 
2,500  pounds. 

No.  9  combined  gas  and  whistling  buoy. — This  is  the  lighted  whistling 
buoy,  the  Courtenay  principle  being  used  to  produce  the  sound.  It 
has  a  cylindrical  flotation  chamber  9  feet  in  diameter,  is  composed  of 
a  body  plate  and  two  shallow  dished  heads,  and  draws  about  19  J  feet 
of  water.  The  generating  tube  is  centrally  located,  and  twin  whistling 


10  ACETYLENE    GAS   FOR   AIDS    TO    NAVIGATION. 

tubes,  20  inches  in  diameter,  are  provided.  It  has  a  10-inch  whistle, 
and  was  designed  to  have  the  same  whistling  power  as  the  Courtenay 
buoys  now  in  the  Canadian  service.  The  light,  exhibited  from  a  stand- 
ard gas  lantern,  is  shown  16  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  water.  The 
generating  tube  is  30  inches  in  diameter,  and  the  carbide  charge  is 
3,000  pounds. 

The  types  of  buoys  mentioned  below  are  modifications  of  those 
already  described,  the  changes  consisting  only  in  shape  and  size. 
Illustrations  of  these  buoys  and  the  method  of  their  construction  will 
be  found  in  the  pamphlet  entitled  "Automatic  Gas  Buoys."  a 

No.  6%  shallow-draft  gas  buoy. — In  future  this  will  be  used  for  the 
same  service  as  the  No.  5  buoy.  The  notation  chamber  consists  of 
two  symmetrical  hemispheroidal  heads  with  a  collision  rail  of  65- 
pound  railroad  steel  riveted  at  the  junction  of  the  two  pieces. 

No.  8%  automatic  gas  buoy  (standard) . — This  buoy  is  shown  in  the 
figure  herewith.  The  float  chamber  is  formed  of  two  heavy  steel  plates 
pressed  to  hemispheroidal  shape,  as  shown.  The  abutting  edges  are 
machined,  and  a  heavy  tee  rail  is  closely  riveted  over  the  joint  so  as 
to  form  both  a  butt  strap  and  a  collision  rail.  The  float  chamber  is 
8J  feet  in  diameter,  and  it  is  9  feet  4  inches  in  diameter  over  the  col- 
lision rail.  The  generator  tube  is  a  heavy  welded  steel  tube,  holding 
a  charge  of  2,500  pounds  of  carbide.  The  lantern  table  is  fitted  to 
take  either  the  200  mm.,  300  mm.,  or  the  375  mm.  lantern.  The 
weight  of  this  buoy  is  5  tons  without  its  charge  and  6J  tons  when 
charged.  The  operating  parts  of  all  automatic  gas  buoys  are  similar, 
although  the  various  types  differ  in  size,  shape,  draft,  and  height  of 
focal  plane. 

The  buoy  consists  essentially  of  a  gas  generator  (1)  supported  by 
a  float  chamber  (2),  a  lantern  support  (3)  attached  to  the  deck  of 
the  float  chamber,  a  lantern  (4),  and  a  purifier  chamber  (5)  located 
in  the  top  of  the  generator;  there  is  also  a  counterweight  (6)  at- 
tached to  the  bottom  of  the  generator  tube,  to  give  the  buoy  suffi- 
cient stability.  The  generator  (1)  has  a  diaphragm  (7)  near  the 
bottom;  the  center  of  the  diaphragm  is  fitted  with  a  conical-seated 
Aralve  (8),  which  is  shown  open;  this  valve  is  mounted  on  the  valve 
stem  (9),  which  passes  up  through  the  center  of  the  generator  and 
through  the  generator  head  (10)  ;  the  upper  end  of  the  valve  stem 
has  a  thread  cut  upon  it,  and  is  fitted  with  a  hexagon  nut  (11)  just 
above  the  generator  head ;  the  part  of  the  stem  passing  through  the 
generator  head  has  a  keyway  cut  in  it,  and  a  spline  is  fitted  into  the 
generator  head  engaging  the  keyway,  so  that  when  nut  (11)  is  turned 
to  open  or  close  the  valve,  the  stem  can  not  turn,  but  can  only  move 
up  or  down.  To  the  extreme  top  end  of  the  valve  stem  is  attached  a 

0  On  file  in  the  Office  of  the  Light-House  Board,  Department  of  Commerce  and 
Labor,  Washington. 


ACETYLENE   GAS   FOE   AIDS   TO   NAVIGATION. 


11 


stop  collar  (12)  to  prevent  the  nut  (11)  being  turned  so  far  as  to 
drop  the  valve  and  valve  stem.  A  cap  (14)  screws  down  onto  the 
generator  head  against  a  rubber  packing,  so  as  to  prevent  leakage  of 
gas  when  the  buoy  is 
in  operation;  it  also 
serves  to  prevent  the 
valve  stem  (9)  rising, 
and  so  holds  the  valve 
(8)  securely  open. 
The  valve  stem  (9) 
is  surrounded  by  a 
guard  pipe  (13), 
where  it  passes 
through  the  carbide 
charge;  this  pipe  is 
screwed  firmly  into  a 
hub  on  the  under  side 
of  the  generator  head. 
The  conical  valve  seat 
in  the  center  of  the 
diaphragm  (7)  is  pro- 
vided with  a  rubber 
packing  (15)  which 
is  held  in  a  groove  in 
the  valve  seat  so  as 
to  project  enough  to 
make  a  good  joint 
with  the  valve  (8) 
when  it  is  closed,  even 
if  it  is  quite  foul. 
A  steel  grate  (16)  is 
attached  to  the  inside 
of  the  generator  a 
short  distance  above 
the  diaphragm ;  the 
charge  of  calcium 
carbide  rests  on  this 
grate. 

The  operation  of 
the  gas  apparatus 
is  as  follows:  The 

°"enerator    ( 1 )  is  filled         Interior  view  of  a  Willson  low-pressure  automatic  gas  buoy. 

with  carbide  as  shown,  and  the  buoy  is  placed  in  the  water 
with  the  valve  (8)  open  and  the  valve  cap  (14)  in  place.  Water 
enters  the  bottom  of  the  generator  tube  through  the  hole  shown  in 


12 


ACETYLENE    GAS   FOR   AIDS    TO    NAVIGATION. 


the  center  of  the  counterweight  (6)  and  then  passes  through  the 
valve  (8)  up  toward  the  grate  (16)  and  finally  reaches  the  carbide 
resting  on  the  grate ;  this  at  once  produces  gas,  which  passes  through 
the  purifier  (5),  thence  through  the  small  valve  (17)  and  pipe  (18) 
to  the  lantern  (4),  to  which  the  pipe  is  connected  by  the  coup- 
ling (19).  When  gas  is  produced  faster  than  it  is  burned  in  the  lan- 
tern, it  accumulates  in  the  generator  and  presses  the  water  downward 
away  from  the  carbide,  thus  stopping  the  generation  of  gas  (the 
illustration  shows  the  generator  in  this  condition).  When  the  sur- 
plus gas  is  consumed  the  water  reaches  the  carbide  again  and  more 
gas  is  produced. 

No.  11  combined  gas  and  whistling  buoy. — This  is  similar  in  general 
design  to  the  No.  9  buoy,  but  the  flotation  chamber  is  11  feet  in 
diameter,  the  whistle  18  inches  in  diameter,  and  the  two  whistling 
tubes  36  inches  in  diameter.  The  light  will  be  exhibited  30  feet  above 
the  water  from  a  gas  lantern  carrying  a  lens  either  375  or  500  mm.  in 
diameter. 

No.  14  combined  gas  and  whistling  buoy. — This  is  designed  for  posi- 
tions of  sufficient  importance  to  call  for  a  light-ship.  The  flotation 
chamber  is  elliptical,  with  axes  of  11  and  14£  feet.  The  whistling 
tubes  are  48  inches,  and  the  whistle  18  inches  in  diameter.  The  light 
will  be  exhibited  30  feet  above  the  water  from  a  gas  lantern  carrying 
a  500  mm.  lens. 

A  comparative  idea  of  the  buoys  will  be  gained  from  studying  the 
following  table: 


>> 

*«     ' 

°s 

fs*. 

•3 

°§ 

1^ 

3-d 

!?  —  <  .. 

0)"^ 

S'fe^ 

«-  . 

«2r§ 

Type  num- 
ber of  buoy. 

5| 

Shape  of  flotation 
chamber. 

*•"**,§ 

£+"  i 

hi 

ee<pa 
•-H  bo-^ 

o            -(J       3 

11 

0*0 

111 

MH  o3 
O 

Q 

Q 

O 

u     5 

Q 

Q 

9 

5... 

Ft.  In. 
6    0 

Cylindrical 

Ft.    In. 
5      9 

Inches. 
24 

Lbs.     Inches. 
1  000             0 

Indies. 

o 

mm. 
200 

Ft.  In. 

7     4 

6  . 

6    0 

do 

6      0 

24 

1*000              0 

o 

7  

9    4 

.      do 

7      3 

30 

2*500              0 

o 

200 

7     fi 

84... 

10    5 

Spheroidal 

8      6 

30 

2  500              0 

o 

orjA 

9     . 

19    4 

Cylindrical 

8    10 

30 

20 

or  200 

11  
11X144.  

26    8 
26    8 

do  
Elliptical 

11      0 

30 
30 

3,000            36 
3  000            48 

18 
18 

375 
500 

30     0 

on      n 

It  will  be  noticed  that  with  the  increase  in  the  size  of  the  gas  buoy, 
the  size  of  the  lantern,  the  consumption  of  gas,  and  the  power  of  the 
light  have  increased.  The  lens  of  500  mm.  diameter  corresponds  to 
the  fourth  order;  375  mm.,  fifth  order;  300  mm.,  sixth  order,  200 
mm.,  to  less  than  the  seventh  order,  while  the  lens  of  100  mm.  can 
not  well  be  classified.  The  375  mm.  lanterns  will  be  used  on  all 
whistling  buoys,  and  eventually  300  mm.  lanterns  on  all  standard 


ACETYLENE    GAS    FOR   AIDS    TO    NAVIGATION. 


13 


buoys,  while  the  No.  11  gas  and  whistling  buoys  may  carry  500  mm. 
lanterns  if  the  importance  of  the  locality  warrants  it. 

The  great  increase  in  the  light  power  of  the  larger  automatic 
buoys,  due  to  the  use  of  acetylene  and  the  size  of  gas  lanterns 
employed,  makes  them  in  reality  floating  light-houses  of  an  order 
superior  to  many  of  the  light-houses  in  Canada. 


No.  7  buoy  on  deck  of  Canadian  light-house  tender  Scout. 
BURNERS. 

The  principal  difficulty  experienced  in  the  use  of  acetylene  for 
light-house  work  has  been  with  the  burners,  but  each  season  has 
produced  changes  and  improvements.  It  was  not  considered  neces- 
sary to  purify  the  acetylene  used  until  the  middle  of  1905,  when 
purifiers  were  added  to  the  automatic  buoys  with  excellent  results. 


14 


ACETYLENE    GAS   FOR    AIDS    TO    NAVIGATION. 


"Economic"  burners  are  used  in  buoys  and  shore  stations  using 
compression  and  low-pressure  acetylene  gas.  They  are  of  the  type 
shown  in  the  samples0  and  vary  from  the  single  one-fourth-foot 
flame,  one-eighth  pilot  burner,  to  the  six-burner  type,  one-half-foot 
flame  with  four  and  six  one-eighth  pilot  burners.  At  present  use  is 
made  of  the  following  sizes,  tips  for  which  are  made  in  the  United 
States: 


Main 

Pilot 

flames 

flames 

Size  of  buoy. 

(one- 
fourth  of 

(one- 
eighth  of 

Lens. 

Order. 

a  foot)  . 

a  foot)  . 

No.  5... 

2 

2 

mm. 
100-200 

7 

No  6 

2 

2 

200 

7 

No.  6i... 

2 

2 

200 

No.  7 

2  4 

9  4 

200-300 

6-7 

No  8i 

2-4 

2  4 

200-375 

No.  9... 

4 

2-4 

300-375 

5-6 

No.  11. 

'Hi1, 

4—6 

375-500 

4-5 

Light-ship  

9 

6 

500 

4 

Fixed  for  shore  stations 

2-6 

500  and 

up. 

a  One-haif  foot. 
CHARGING  THE    BUOY. 

In  the  low-pressure  acetylene  buoy  the  carbide  charge  (from  \  to 
\\  tons)  is  carried  in  a  central  generating  tube  of  welded  steel,  sup- 
ported by  a  flotation  chamber.  The  carbide  rests  on  a  cast-steel 
grating,  below  which  is  a  diaphragm  of  steel  with  an  8-inch  opening 
closed  by  a  valve  operated  by  a  valve  stem  which  passes  through  a 
tube  in  the  carbide  chamber,  then  through  the  cast-steel  head  of  the 
same,  and  is  operated  from  the  deck  of  the  buoy.  The  bottom  of 
the  generating  tube  is  open  to  the  water,  and  the  top  is  closed  by  a 
steel  casting  containing  the  purifier  and  the  door  for  filling  the  buoy. 
The  buoy,  with  valve  closed,  is  filled  with  carbide  before  placing  on 
station.  The  valve  is  opened  when  the  buoy  is  moored,  admitting 
water  to  the  charge.  The  air  is  then  blown  out  of  the  generating 
tube  through  a  small  plug  and  out  of  the  gas  lantern  in  the  usual 
way,  after  which  the  lamp  is  lighted.  At  Quebec  the  officials,  on 
learning  of  our  arrival,  delayed  the  filling  of  two  low-pressure  auto- 
matic Willson  buoys  with  carbide  until  we  were  present.  The 
method  of  charging,  etc.,  at  this  station  was  as  follows: 

The  valves  in  the  bottom  diaphragm  had  been  closed  and  the 
manhole  plates  removed.  Carbide  in  tin  cans  was  emptied  into  coal 
scuttles,  passed  up  a  ladder,  and  poured  into  a  canvas  chute,  which 
was  long  enough  to  extend  to  the  grating  in  the  charging  chamber. 
The  chute  was  used  to  prevent  the  lumps  of  carbide  from  striking 

o  On  file  in  the  Office  of  the  Light-House  Board,  Department  of  Commerce  and  Labor 
Washington,  D.  C. 


ACETYLENE    GAS    FOR   AIDS    TO    NAVIGATION.  15 

the  iron  walls  or  grating,  and,  thus  to  avoid  sparks  and  the  ignition 
of  gas  evolved  from  any  moisture  in  the  chamber.  These  were  No.  9 
buoys  and  had  a  capacity  of  3,000  pounds  of  carbide.  When  the  . 
chamber  was  filled,  the  manhole  plates  wrere  put  on,  connections  were 
made,  and  the  buoys  were  ready  to  put  on  station.  The  moorings 
used  for  anchoring  them  were  1-inch  to  l^-inch  chains  of  a  length 
not  less  than  two  to  two  and  one-half  times  the  depth  of  the  water, 
with  cement  sinkers,  mushrooms,  or  stockless  anchors,  depending  on 
the  character  of  the  bottom  and  attendant  circumstances.  After 
the  buoy  is  in  the  water  the  bottom  valve  is  opened,  allowing  the 
water  to  attack  the  carbide  and  the  small  blow-offs,  provided  in  the 
head  of  the  buoy  and  the  lantern,  are  opened  to  permit  the  gas  to 
drive  out  the  air  in  the  buoy.  The  connections  between  the  buoy 
and  the  lantern  are  then  tested  with  soapsuds  and  the  lantern  lighted. 
The  No.  11  and  light-ship  buoys  require  for  handling  a  vessel  having 
a  25-ton  derrick  and  large  deck  space.  It  has  been  the  custom  to  fill 
the  buoys  at  the  wharf  and  tow  them  to  the  station.  They  can  be  filled 
on  station  by  closing  the  bottom  valve,  pumping  or  blowing  out  by 
ejector  the  water  and  lime  deposit,  then  filling  from  a  tender  or  other 
vessel.  The  better  method,  however,  is  to  lift  the  buoy  clear  of  the 
water,  wash  out  the  carbide  chamber  above  and  below  the  grating, 
close  the  lower  valve,  and  then  charge  with  carbide,  opening 
the  lower  valve  when  the  buoy  is  in  the  water  and  ready  for  service. 

SIGNALS. 

The  Courtenay  principle  is  used  in  the  whistle  signal.  Instead  of  a 
single  central  tube  for  compressing  the  air  to  sound  the  whistle,  twin 
tubes  are  used,  the  axes  of  these  tubes  and  the  axes  of  the  generating 
tube  being  in  the  same  plane.  Standard  buoys  may  or  may  not  be 
fitted  with  a  bell.  Gas  and  signal  buoys  are  fitted  with  a  whistle  and 
may  be  fitted  with  a  bell  as  service  conditions  require.  Number  1 1  is 
fitted  with  gas,  18-inch  whistle,  bell,  and  submarine  bell.  Light-ship 
buoys  are  fitted  with  a  fourth  order  light,  18-inch  whistle,  bell,  and 
submarine  signal  apparatus.  Some  idea  of  the  increased  power  of  the 
wrhistle  blast  of  the  automatic  buoy  compared  with  the  Courtenay 
is  given  by  a  comparison  of  the  horizontal  area  of  the  compressing 
tubes.  The  area  hi  the  largest  size  Courtenay  is  4J  square  feet;  that 
of  the  automatic  gas  and  whistling  buoy  is  14  square  feet. 

The  tubes  for  the  striking  balls  in  the  bell  mechanism  of  the  buoys 
now  in  use  are  on  the  outside  of  the  framework.  This  has  been 
changed  in  the  newer  type,  where  these  cylinders  are  inside  of  the 
frame.  The  tubes  used  in  the  construction  of  these  buoys  vary  from 
1  foot,  8  inches,  to  4  feet,  and  are  made  in  New  York.  The  heads  and 
bottoms  are  made  in  Coatesville,  Pa. 


16  ACETYLENE    GAS   FOR   AIDS    TO    NAVIGATION. 

In  the  future  the  buoys  will  be  elliptical  in  cross  section,  made  of 
but  two  pieces,  formed  by  the  head  and  the  bottom,  with  a  bulb  iron 


for  10  mid  is  inch  whistle  for  buoys. 


T-rail  at  the  junction  to  strengthen,  and  also  to  act  as  a  collision 
fender.      In   order  wto   manufacture   these    buoys    in    this  wav  the 


ACETYLENE    GAS   FOE   AIDS   TO    NAVIGATION.  17 

company  supplying  them  is  installing  a  press  at  a  cost  of  $100,000. 
Further  details  of  these  buoys  \vill  be  shown  in  blue  prints  and  let- 
ters patent  No.  791119,  May  30,  1905.° 

The  lights  shown  from  gas  buoys  are  occulting,  unless  for  special 
reasons  a  fixed  white  light  is  required.  At  the  office  of  the  inventor 
tests  were  made  of  the  various  lanterns,  varying  from  the  Pintsch  size 
200jmillimeter,  to  the  largest  fourth  order  light  size,  or  500  millimeter. 
The  larger  sizes  were  also  tested  with  red  shades  or  chimneys.  Con- 
siderable time  was  taken  up  in  the  inspection  of  plans,  blue  prints,  etc., 
copies  of  which  are  submitted.0 

ADVANTAGES  OF  LOW-PRESSURE    BUOY. 

A  discussion  of  the  advantages  of  low-pressure  buoys  over  the  com- 
pression system  may  not  be  amiss,  for  my  tour  of  inspection  leads  me 
to  believe  that  the  compression  system  will  eventually  be  replaced  by 
the  automatic. 

The  desire  of  the  Canadian  government  is  to  make  use  of  the  com- 
pression system  until  it  can  be  replaced  by 'a  low-pressure  buoy  of 
the  latest  automatic  type.  The  points  of  advantage  of  compressed 
acetylene  over  compressed  oil  gas  are  as  follows : 

1.  For  an  equal  volume  of  gas  burned,  acetylene  gives  more  than 
five  times  the  light. 

2.  Acetylene  gas  can  be  generated  on  the  deck  of  a  light-house  ten- 
der in  a  portable  apparatus,  whereas  oil  gas  must  be  transported  in 
storeholders  from  a  gas  works  on  shore. 

3.  All  over  10  atmospheres  pressure,  more  acetylene  than  oil  gas 
can  be  compressed  into  a  holder,  as  the  latter  begins  to  deposit  liquid 
hydrocarbons  at  or  before  this  pressure,  thereby  reducing  the  illumi- 
nating power  of  the  gas. 

The  great  advantage  of  low-pressure  acetylene  buoys  over  the  com- 
pression system  is  summarized  in  the  following: 

1 .  In  the  compression  type  the  gas  is  raised  to  a  maximum  pressure 
of  225  pounds  per  square  inch;  in  the  automatic  type  the  maximum 
pressure  does  not  exceed  a  few  pounds  per  square  inch. 

2.  Compression  buoys  require  for  their  maintenance  a  gas  generat- 
ing plant.     In  the  case  of  acetylene  this  can  be  placed  on  the  deck  of 
a  light-house  tender  or  scow ;  with  oil  gas  it  must  be  located  on  shore 
and  the  gas  transported  in  holders  to  the  buoy.     The  automatic  buoy 
is  charged  with  carbide  and  requires  no  gas  generating  plant  except 
that  within  itself.  t 

a  On  file  in  the  Office  of  the  Light-House  Board,  Department  of  Commerce  and 
Labor,  Washington,  D.  C. 


18  ACETYLENE   GAS   FOB  AIDS   TO   NAVIGATION. 

3.  The  elimination  of  compression   and  the  fact  that  automatic 
buoys  may  be  recharged  from  a  boat,  if  necessary,  permits  the  installa- 
tion of  gas  buoys  in  isolated  positions  where  their  use  was  not  practi- 
cable before. 

4.  An  automatic  gas  buoy,  fully  charged,  can  carry  from  9,000  to 
10,000  feet  of  gas  in  the  form  of  carbide.     The  standard  compression 
buoy  (170  cubic  feet  per  atmosphere)  at  15  atmospheres  will  hold 
about  one-fourth  as  much  gas.     An  automatic  buoy  can  be  charged 
on  the  opening  of  navigation  and  requires  no  attention,  so  far  as  gas 
supply  is  concerned,  until  navigation  closes.     One  charge  is  sufficient 
for  one  year  where  the  gas  consumption  is  equal  to  that  of  the  old  type 
buoys. 

5.  This  principle  more  readily  permits  the  lighting  of  other  classes 
of  buoys,  such  as  whistling  and  bell  buoys. 

TEST   OF    SERVICE. 

On  my  tour  of  inspection  I  examined  the  Willson  low-pressure 
buoys  which  had  been  in  position  on  the  St.  Lawrence  since  April. 
All  were  found  in  most  excellent  condition.  The  tips  were  as  clean 
as  when  the  buoys  were  put  in  position.  Only  one^change  had  been 
made  in  any  of  them  during  the  summer,  and  this  a  small  alteration 
in  the  occulting  mechanism.  In  the  examination  I  landed  on  a 
buoy  and  the  vessel  backed  off.  The  stability  in  a  swift  channel  may 
be  judged  from  the  photographs  and  by  the  fact  that  when  the  vessel 
backed  off  and  away  from  the  buoy  I  was  left  with  three  other  men  on 
the  lantern  platform.  These  buoys  ride  well  in^ strong  currents  and 
with  the  different  changes  that  can  be  made  to  adapt  them  to  all  cir- 
cumstances, the  whistle,  bell,  large  lens,  occulting  lights,  and  subma- 
rine signal  apparatus  seem  to  fill  perfectly  all  the  requirements  of  the 
most  efficient  aid  to  navigation  that  has  been  offered  to  mariners. 
The  advantages  offered  are  greater  than  .those  of  any  other  system. 
The  duration  of  service  depends  only  on  the  strength  of  light  desired 
and  the  carrying  capacity  of  the  carbide  chamber.  The  season  [re- 
quiring lights  being  about  eight  months,  selection^  of  sizes  is  governed 
accordingly.  The  most  notable  instance  of  long  service  is  that  of(an 
acetylene  buoy  that  burned  for  fifty- three  weeks.  The  carbide  charge 
was  not  then  exhausted.  The  buoy  was  taken  up  for  painting. 

A  case  of  carbonization  4'and  smoking  was  shown  in  a  low-pressure 
Willson  buoy  exhibited  at  the  Exposition  Lake  in  Ottawa.  On  ex- 
amination this  was  found  to  have  been  caused  by  a  derangement 
of  the  small  occulting  lever.  This  was  quickly  remedied  and  the 
report  made  regarding  it  was:  "Of  the  many  hundreds  of  these  lan- 
terns which  have  been  made,  this  is  the  only  time  we  have  known  of 
such  a  difficulty." 


ACETYLENE    GAS    FOR   AIDS    TO    NAVIGATION.  19 

At  TOMATIC    BUOYS    ON    COAST   OF   NOVA    SCOTIA. 

A  map  of  Nova  Scotia  is  submitted0  showing  the  location  of  auto- 
matic gas  and  whistling  buoys,  and  the  remarkable  adaptability  of 
this  admirable  system  for  guarding  that  coast.  It  is  the  intention 
of  the  Canadian  government  so  to  girdle  the  coast  of  Nova  Scotia 
with  these  buoys  that  it  will  be  impossible  for  a  vessel  to  reach  it 
without  coming  within  the  radius  of  visibility  of  one  of  these  lights. 
A  report 'of  the  submarine  bell  attachment  for  the  Willson  buoy  at 


Upp<  : 


in  8-mile  current. 


the  outer  automatic  station  off  Halifax  Harbor  is  interesting  in  this 
connection.     The  commissioner  of  lights  in  a  letter  says: 

I  note  that  you  proceed  to  Boston  on  submarine  signal  duty  and  in  this  connection 
I  may  mention  that  we  recently  took  in  the  submarine  bell  attachment  for  the  Willson 
buoy,  outer  automatic  station,  off.  Halifax  Harbor,  and  owing  to  the  light  construction 
of  the  apparatus  it  was  practically  wrecked.  We  have  written  the  Submarine  Signal 
Company,  pointing  out  the  necessity  of  making  their  apparatus  much  stronger  and 
heavier.  Experimenting  in  Boston  Harbor  they  do  not  appear  to  appreciate  the  severe 
conditions  obtained  on  the  Nova  Scotia  coast.  I  do  not  doubt  that  a  strong  and  serv- 
iceable bell  attachment  can  be  designed. 

<*  On  file  in  the  Office  of  the  Light-House  Board,  Department  of  Commerce  and 
Labor,  Washington,  D.  C. 


20                         ACETYLENE    GAS   FOR   AIDS    TO    NAVIGATION. 
GOVERNMENT    PURCHASES PRICES. 

The  appropriations  made  by  the  Canadian  government  in  the  past 
three  years  for  automatic  low-pressure  gas  buoys,  were — 1904-5, 
$192,000;  1905-6,  $360,000;  1906-7,  $350,000;  total,  $902,000. 

It  is  estimated  that  it  will  probably  require  300  buoys  to  light  the 
St.  Lawrence  River  from  Montreal  to  the  sea  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
light  the  channel  perfectly  and  completely  on  both  sides,  using  the 
gas  buoys  carrying  the  large  lanterns,  namely,  300  mm.  with  white 
light,  and  375  mm.  with  red  screen.  The  cost  will  be  approximately 
$1,000,000.  For  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  the  Great  Lakes,  and  British 
Columbia,  an  appropriation  of  from  $1,500,000  to  $2,000,000  would 
probably  be  required. 

In  reply  to  the  question  as  to  the  cost  of  the  buoys  it  was  stated 
that  the  price  would  be  the  same  for  all  countries.  The  Canadian 
government  has  paid  the  following  prices:  For  type  number  8J,  and 
lighting  buoys  of  the  same  capacity,  $3,000  without  lanterns;  for 
type  number  9?,  which  is  the  standard  combination  gas  and  whistling 
buoy,  $5,000  without  lantern;  for  type  number  11,  which  is  the 
small  lightship  buoy,  $8,500;  the  large  lightship  buoy,  not  yet  com- 
pleted, subject  to  a  price  to  be  settled  in  the  future,  about  $15,000. 

In  regard  to  these  prices  my  informant  stated  that  they  are  less 
than  one-half  the  average  price  paid  by  the  Canadian  government  for 
the  compression  type  of  buoy.  This  statement  of  relative  cost  is 
based  upon  the  actual  gas  contents  or  capacity  of  the  buoy.  By  the 
use  of  acetylene  instead  of  the  oil  gas  furnished  by  the  Pintsch  com- 
pany a  lighting  value  seven  times  as  great  is  obtained.  Taking  into 
consideration  the  increased  quantity  of  gas  which  the  automatic 
buoys,  of  approximately  the  same  weight  as  the  compression  buoys, 
contain,  a  light  is  produced  of  from  twenty  to  thirty  times  the  candle- 
power  that  it  is  possible  to  obtain  by  the  use  of  the  old  system  of 
compression  oil  gas  buoys,  and  at  a  much  lower  comparative  cost. 

Mr.  Willson  wished  to  place  himself  on  record  as  desirous  of  lighting 
the  new  Ambrose  Channel  with  buoys  of  his  construction  at  no  cost 
to  the  United  States  Government,  the  buoys  to  be  removed  if  they 
prove  unsatisfactory. 

PRESCOTT   STATION— PORTABLE  GAS   GENERATOR. 

The  Prescott  Buoy  Station  was  established  in  1903  as  the  central 
depot  for  the  manufacture,  storage,  and  distribution  of  stores  and 
light-house  apparatus.  The  good  water  front  is  being  improved  with 
docks,  slips,  and  hauling-out  ways.  A  basin  is  in  contemplation. 
The  depot  has  carpenter  and  machine  shops,  gas  testing  and  store- 
houses, office  buildings,  and  an  acetylene  gas  manufacturing  plant. 
The  station  is  well  provided  with  efficient  standpipes  and  pumps  for 


ACETYLENE    GAS    FOR    AIDS   TO    NAVIGATION. 


iparative  -i/«-  <>f  NM.  1 1  light -hip  gas  and  whistling  buoy,  Conrtenay  whistling  buoy,  and  No.  11 
light-ship  gas  and  whistling  buoy. 


22  ACETYLENE    GAS   FOE   AIDS    TO    NAVIGATION. 

fire  purposes.  The  acetylene  manufacturing  plant  is  installed  in  a 
wooden  structure  near  the  water  front  and  is  called  the  "Scout"  type 
generator,  after  the  name  of  the  tender  Scout. 


TYPE    GENERATOR. 


This  generator  is  made  of  one-fourth  inch  boiler  plate,  is  9  by 
4  feet  6  inches  inside  measurement,  with  circular  end,  and  is  6  feet 
high.  It  is  divided  into  two  equal  compartments,  "A"  and  "B,"  by 
a  transverse  partition  of  boiler  plate.  One  compartment  is  called 


Portable  acetylene  gas  plant  operating  on  steamer's  deck,  as  used  on  the  barge  and  in  the  station  at 

Prescott. 

the  generating  side  and  the  other  the  expansion  side.  About  18 
inches  from  the  bottom  of  the  transverse  partition  is  a  row  of  eight 
3-inch  holes.  An  agitator  is  provided  for  each  compartment,  oper- 
ated by  a  vertical  shaft  and  wheel  from  the  deck  of  the  generator. 

On  the  generating  side  are  two  hoppers,  each  capable  of  containing 
600  pounds  of  carbide.  These  are  fitted  with  gas-tight  covers,  and 
the  carbide  is  fed  into  the  generator  by  means  of  a  feed  screw.  A 
valve  is  provided  which  enables  a  hopper  to  be  cut  out  if  desired. 
This  permits  of  one  hopper  being  filled  while  the  other  is  in  operation. 

A  scrubber,  "C,"  is  formed  on  the  expansion  side  by  means  of  a 
large  tube  let  into  the  deck  of  the  generator.  The  top  of  this  tube  is 


ACETYLENE    GAS    FOR   AIDS    TO    NAVIGATION.  23 

covered  by  a  gas-tight  cover,  and  the  gas  is  led  from  the  generating 
side  to  the  bottom  of  the  scrubber,  where  it  passes  through  a  large 
number  of  minute  holes  and  is  washed  in  the  water  with  which  the 
scrubber  is  filled.  It  has  not  been  found  necessary  to  use  any  chem- 
ical solution  in  scrubbing  the  gas,  as  water  has  been  found  sufficient. 

To  operate,  the  generator  is  filled  about  half  full  of  water,  the  car- 
bide hopper  is  filled,  and  when  connection  has  been  made  with  a  buoy 
or  gas  holder  through  the  compressor  and  various  other  parts  of  the 
apparatus  the  hopper  feed  screw  is  worked,  which  passes  carbide  into 
the  generating  side.  The  carbide  falls  on  a  screen  inclined  at  an 
angle  of  45°  within  the  generator,  and  the  acetylene  is  disengaged. 
The  gas  passes  through  the  scrubber  and  thence  to  the  compressor  and 
the  holder. 

If  more  gas  is  made  than  the  compressor  can  hold,  the  pressure  on 
the  generating  side  increases,  the  water  'is  driven  through  the  holes 
in  the  transverse  partition  and  rises  on  the  expansion  side.  If  a 
large  volume  of  gas  should  be  disengaged,  and  if  at  the  same  time  the 
feed  pump  is  working  and  the  blow-off  cocks  do  not  receive  attention, 
the  water  may  rise  in  the  expansion  side  and  blow  off  through  the 
3-inch  overflow  provided  for  this  purpose.  As  the  compressor  takes 
gas  from  the  generator  the  water  returns  to  the  genera  ting  side. 

The  feed  water  in  the  yard  machine  enters  the  generating  side  near 
the  bottom.  In  the  latest  type  of  generator  the  feed  water  enters 
about  half  way  up  the  generator.  By  means  of  a  small  gauge 
attached  to  the  top  of  the  generating  side  it  is  possible  for  the  attend- 
ant to  keep  the  water  level  practically  constant,  at  the  same  time 
blowing  off  the  lime  sludge  from  each  side  after  it  has  been  stirred  by 
the  agitators.  Sludge  cocks  have  also  been  added  on  each  side  of  the 
generator,  intended  to  replace  the  blow-off  tube  on  the  right  of  the 
right-hand  side  of  the  generator. 

Low-pressure  gas  drier. — The  low-pressure  drier  consists  of  an  inclos- 
ing cast-iron  shell,  inside  of  which  revolves  a  steel  squirrel  cage  full  of 
carbide.  The  cy Under  of  the  squirrel  cage  is  perforated  with  holes. 
Through  the  axis  of  the  cage  a  4-inch  gas  pipe  passes,  which  is  also 
perforated  with  one-half  inch  holes.  Between  the  inclosing  cast-iron 
case  and  the  gas  outlet  are  sheets  of  hair  felt  which  strain  and  filter 
the  gas,  which  is  then  compressed  to  eight  atmospheres  in  the  three- 
stage  compressor. 

Three-stage  gas  compressor. — This  is  of  the  Ingersoll-Sergeant  straight 
line  class  F  C  3  type,  with  intercooler  between  low  and  intermediate 
pressure  cylinders  and  intercooler  between  intermediate  and  high 
pressure  cylinders.  The  intermediate  and  high  pressure  cylinders, 
with  their  intercoolers,  are  inclosed  in  a  water  box.  The  dimensions 
of  the  cylinders  are:  Steam  cylinder,  10-inch  diameter  by  10-inch 
stroke;  low-pressure  gas  cylinder,  9-inch  diameter  by  10-inch  stroke? 


24 


ACETYLENE    GAS   FOR   AIDS    TO    NAVIGATION. 


double  acting;  intermediate  gas  cylinder,  6^-inch  diameter  by  10-inch 
stroke,  single  acting;  high-pressure  gas  cylinder,  3J-inch  diameter  by 
10-inch  stroke,  single  acting;  65  revolutions  per  minute. 

The  bedplate  is  an  extra  heavy  casting  of  box  girder  pattern,  con- 
necting the  steam  and  gas  cylinders.  The  front  part  of  the  bedplate 
carries  main  bearings,  which  are  of  the  one-fourth  box  type,  adjust- 


Buoy  No.  9,  whistler,  at  strongest  tidal  current  off  Lurcher  Shoal,  Bay  of  Fundy. 

able  for  wear.  The  gas  inlet  valves  on  the  low-pressure  cylinder  are 
of  the  poppet  type,  with  brass  springs,  so  that  should  a  stem  break 
they  can  not  be  drawn  into  the  cylinder.  The  gas  inlet  and  discharge 
valves  on  intermediate  and  high  pressure  cylinders  are  of  improved 
mushroom  type  working  in  bronze  guides.  A  fly-ball  governor  is 
placed  in  the  main  steam  pipe. 


ACETYLENE    GAS   FOB   AIDS   TO    NAVIGATION.  25 

Cooler,  drier,  purifier. — The  after  cooler  consists  simply  of  a  coil 
of  pipes  around  which  water  is  made  to  circulate  in  a  suitable  casing. 

The  general  design  of  the  high-pressure  drier  is  similar  to  that  of 
the  low-pressure  drier,  but  it  is  tested  to  a  working  pressure  of  300 
pounds  while  the  low-pressure  drier  is  tested  to  20  pounds. 

The  purifier  is  a  box  containing  Kieselguhr  saturated  with  chromic 
acid  through  which  the  gas  is  passed,  and  thus  successfully  purified. 
The  same  compound  is  used  in  the  small  purifying  chamber  on  top  of 
the  buoy  and  alongside  of  the  manhole  used  for  charging  the  buoy  with 
carbide. 

The  following  blueprints,  to  accompany  this  description,  will  be 
found  in  the  files  of  the  Light-House  Board :  ( 1)  Acetylene-gas  genera- 
tor Scout  type,  one  print;  (2)  low-pressure  gas  drier,  two  prints;  (3) 
high-pressure  gas  drier,  four  prints. 

WINDMILL  LIGHT. 

The  Windmill  light-house  carries  in  the  ordinary  lantern  two  chan- 
nel lights  with  annular  lenses  and  reflectors.  In  the  lower  portion 
is  an  acetylene  compression  plant  of  two  gas  cylinders  42  inches  by 
20  feet.  The  gas  is  manufactured  at  the  Prescott  station  and  con- 
veyed by  the  Scout  to  this  and  the  other  stations  using  this  system. 
Hose  connections  are  made  with  the  tanks  in  the  bottom  of  the  tower, 
which  are  then  filled  from  8  to  10  atmospheres.  The  burners  were 
badly  carbonized,  a  bridge  having  formed  hi  each  case  between  the 
tips.0  The  cause  given  for  this  excessive  carbonization  was  that  the 
purifying  plant  was  evidently  in  bad  order,  and  directions  were  given 
to  overhaul  it. 

ST.  LAWRENCE  RIVER  LIGHTS   BETWEEN  MONTREAL  AND 

QUEBEC. 

On  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  between  Platon  and  Montreal,  there 
are  45  gas  buoys,  principally  of  the  Pintsch  type,  but  using  com- 
pressed acetylene  gas.  $For  the  purpose  of  looking  after  the  ship  chan- 
nel buoy  service,  the  agent,  Mr.  Bonder,  has  under  his  direction  the 
C.  G.  S.  SJiamroclc  and  the  gas  and  derrick  scow  Acetylene.  The  buoy 
service  of  the  Dominion  is  done  by  contract  or  by  departmental  officers. 
The  trip  for  the  purpose  of  delivering  the  yearly  supplies  is  made  by 
contract,  because  the  Dominion  government  has  not  a  suitable  avail- 
able steamer  for  that  purpose.  Dredging  operations  to  improve  the 
river  channel  are  progressing  favorably,  and  as  they  are  completed 
powerful  range  lights  and  gas  buoys  are  established,  thus  making  the 

a  Burner  and  accumulation  of  carbon  on  file]in  the  Office  of  the  Light-House  Board, 
Department  of  Commerce  and  Labor,  Washington,  D.  C. 


26  ACETYLENE    GAS   FOE   AIDS    TO    NAVIGATION. 

channel  safe  for  night  running.  It  is  proposed  to  establish  automatic 
low-pressure  acetylene  gas  buoys  for  this  purpose  at  a  cost  of 
$1,000,000.  The  present  acetylene  compression  gas  buoys  will  then 
be  removed  and  used  on  shore  stations.  The  work  completed  was 
very  satisfactory.  The  range  lights  at  Sorel  were  found  in  excellent 
condition. 

I  also  had  the  opportunity  of  seeing  the  lights  near  Quebec,  using 
the  petroleum  vapor  lights;  those  at  Craven  Island,  Belle  Chase,  St. 
Juan,  St.  Laurent,  and  Petronella,  fourth-order  lights,  using  25  mm. 
mantles,  Canadian  burner,  and  occulting  screen. 

O 


OF 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


